Union man faces multiple charges after alleged assault

WARREN, Maine — A 37-year-old Union man was arrested Thursday night after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend, abandoning her car after she fled and then stealing another vehicle.

An affidavit filed by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said James Clark was arrested at his mother’s home in Wiscasset. He was charged with felony domestic violence assault, criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, operating after revocation as a habitual offender and criminal operating under the influence.

The affidavit stated that Clark was intoxicated and got into an argument with his girlfriend whom he lived with in Union. He took her cellphone and threw it out the window of the moving car. He then pulled on her hair so violently that some of the woman’s hair came out.

She managed to get out of the vehicle at the intersection of routes 1 and 90 in Warren and ran to a passerby on the road. Clark started damaging her car before the woman was taken from the scene, according to the affidavit.

Clark was then seen in the parking lot of Odd Fellows Hall in Warren. A vehicle was later found to have been stolen from the lot. The keys had been left in the vehicle.

The vehicle crashed in a ditch a short time later on Route 1 in Waldoboro near the intersection with Main Street, according to the affidavit. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at about $4,200.

A joint effort by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Waldoboro police, Maine State Police, Wiscasset police and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the apprehension of Clark.

He was expected to make court appearances in both Knox and Lincoln counties. He made his initial Rockland District Court appearance Friday afternoon when bail was set at $10,000 cash. He remains at Knox County Jail in Rockland.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.